The Secret Lives of Geeks
by hazelmom
Summary: A look into the trials and tribulations of our favorite geeks: McGee, Abby, Jimmy. a bit of McAbby within. WEE entry for NFA community. All finished!
1. Chapter 1

**The Secret Lives of Geeks**

**Chapter 1**

He liked the breaststroke and the sidestroke, but he was never quite comfortable doing the crawl. It required that he keep his face in the water moving side to side, breathing in measures. Every instinct in his body told him to keep his face above water and too often, when he turned to breath, he seemed to lose a beat before dropping his face again.

He stopped at the end of the lane, breathing hard, and looked up at the time. He had hoped to shave 10 seconds off last week's time, but the numbers told him that instead of shaving time, he'd added 6 seconds. He cursed and rested his forehead on the cold, tiled shelf of the pool.

….

"I just won't do it." Ziva's dark eyes flashed her outrage.

Tony looked up from his computer. "It's his decision, and knowing him, he's going to take one for the team."

"We should protest."

"And make this a bigger deal than it already is. Half the agency will be talking about it by the end of the day if we do that. He'd hate that. It is what it is."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that it sucks, but he's a big boy and he'll handle it with his typical grace."

Agent Ned Dornegut came down the stairs at a clip and landed in front of DiNozzo's desk. He had some sense as to the complexity of the situation, and so he kept his face as impassive as possible, but he could hardly contain the excitement he was feeling. "Where do you want me?"

Tony narrowed his eyes at him. "McGee's not here so it isn't decided yet."

"Right."

Tony pointed at a desk behind Gibbs' wall. "Go over there, sit down, and don't move until I tell you."

Dornegut nodded and hurried over to sit in obscurity.

"He's coming," Ziva hissed as she busied herself at her desk.

McGee came in and smiled at his teammates. "Good morning! Good morning!"

He was always a little too sunny in the morning for DiNozzo's taste, but today he tempered his responding growl. "Hey McGee, the director needs to see you upstairs."

McGee froze. "It's that time of year again. I've been practicing three nights a week at the Navy yard pool."

"Make sure you tell him that," Ziva said darkly.

He gave her an odd look. "I'm going up alone?"

"We already met with him."

McGee nodded, stowed his backpack, and headed for the stairs.

Once he disappeared, a scratchy voice floated back from behind Gibbs' cubicle. "Can I come out now?"

"Shut up, Dornegut! I'll tell you when to speak."

….

McGee smiled at Pamela as she ushered him into the director's office. Vance looked up and gestured toward him. "Sit down, McGee."

McGee noticed Gibbs on the couch paging through a file. He nodded. "Hi Boss."

Gibbs gave him a curt nod and returned to his reading. It was surprising to see him in this meeting. Gibbs had never before expressed any interest in this event. He'd always acted like it was just a distraction from the work. McGee sat down across from both men and waited.

Vance nodded. "As you know, it's time we get ready again for the Quantico Triathlon. It's 6 weeks out, and our registrations are due."

"Yes sir, I've been thinking about it. The Chief Petty Office in charge of the Navy Yard pool has been opening it for me at 11 p.m. three nights a week."

Gibbs rolled his eyes and shot Vance a hard look, but the Director ignored him. "I appreciate that. As you know, NCIS participates every year against other law enforcement teams. Each agency can have multiple teams of three people as long as each team has a woman and they has worked actual cases together."

McGee nodded in confusion. He knew all of this, having been a participant in the triathlon for the last three years. Tony did the run, Ziva did the biking, and he did the swimming.

"Sir, I'm aware that I have been the…weak link on my team. I want to reiterate that I am already working on improving my times."

Vance leaned forward. "I believe you, Agent McGee. I know sports have never been your forte.

McGee winced. Last year, he swam a week after a bout with the flu, and he'd barely been able to finish the course. Their team had come in dead last. On the years, he'd been healthy; his scores still hadn't matched Tony and Ziva's efforts.

"McGee, I'm not proud of what I'm about to do. You see, it's just a dumb sport but, FBI, CIA, and CID have beaten our butts the last ten years running. We're something of a joke in this arena."

Gibbs said nothing, but slammed his file close, and concentrated his considerable stare at Vance.

McGee's face reddened. "Sir, tell me what you want me to do."

"Agent Dornegut has spent some time working on your team this year. He also was a competitive swimmer in college. He may be a green agent, but he's got shoulders like an ox, and he can still do the breaststroke within two minutes of his best college time."

McGee stiffened. "I understand. Sir, you can put him on the team. It…I don't mind. It's your decision. Like you said, I'm not a…sports kind of guy."

"It's not my choice, McGee. Agents David and DiNozzo won't compete unless they are sure you are okay with this."

"Oh, I see. Well, I'm happy to assure them that this is not a problem. In fact, it's something of a relief. You know me. I'm a computer geek not a jock."

For the first time, Gibbs spoke. "If I were you, I'd tell Vance to go to hell."

McGee stood. "Uh, no, I…I don't feel that…at all. I'm a team player…well, not on this team, but in general, and…whatever is best for the agency is good for me."

Vance rubbed his mustache. "Hold on, McGee. Because of the rivalry and such, it's going to look like I got a ringer for the team so Dornegut is going to be working for Gibbs full time until this is over."

McGee cocked his head and waited.

"You, of course, will stay on the team. You have a very specialized skill set that can't be met by anyone else. I'd never disturb that, but with Dornegut on the team…I can't waste resources. You'll be doing less fieldwork. It'll be good experience for him. I have a couple of projects that you can work on when not assisting on cases."

McGee didn't move a muscle as he wasn't sure that Vance was done dismantling his life.

Gibbs leaned forward. "Listen to me, McGee. This is temporary, and I wouldn't tolerate it if the truth weren't that SecNav made some idiot bet on this stupid thing with SecArm. You're a pawn. I'm a pawn. Even the Director is a pawn. And we gotta' let the big boys play their games."

McGee shook his head. "It's not a problem, Boss. As long as I'm not being transferred from your team. That's something I'd like to…have a say in."

Vance nodded. "You're a good spo—man, McGee."

McGee took his cue and fled. Vance turned to Gibbs. "Go ahead. Tell me what an asshole I am."

Gibbs got up. "Ah Leon, I'm not going to do that…yet. But I will tell you that you just fed into every insecurity he has harbored since starting at NCIS. It took a lot of years for him to build confidence, and if this messes with that, you are going to be dealing with one unhappy Marine."

…..

McGee came down the stairs and headed for his desk. He could tell from Tony and Ziva's focus on their computer monitors that they were waiting for him to make the first move. He waited until Gibbs was seated at his desk before he took a deep breath. "Hey, listen, I know you were thinking of staging a little mutiny on my behalf, and while I appreciate it…it's not necessary. I'm fine. Honestly, I'm happy to not have to worry about the darn thing. It'll really piss me off if you guys don't go out there and represent for NCIS."

"I'm not even sure I want to do it now," Tony mumbled.

"Come on, Tony. You're the most competitive man on the planet, and the Director just fixed it so you guys just might win this thing. So do it already."

Ziva narrowed her eyes at him. "I will do it only because you want me to do it. If you change your mind, I am out of it."

McGee nodded at her. "Thanks Ziva."

Then he spotted the top of Dornegut's shaggy head over the divider. "Hey Dornie! Congratulations!"

Ned's head popped up and he nodded. "Thanks McGee. Appreciate it."

McGee looked at Gibbs. "Do they know the rest?"

DiNozzo looked at Gibbs sharply. "What does that mean?"

Gibbs sighed. "For now, Dornegut is assigned to the team full time. It's a triathlon rules thing."

"What happens to McGee?" Ziva bristled.

"Nothing," Gibbs growled. "He might do a couple of projects for the Director, but he's still on the team."

"I don't like it," Tony said.

McGee looked over at an expectant Ned Dornegut and said. "Don't pay any attention to them. You should've seen how Tony treated me when I first started on the team. Hang in there, listen to everything they say…well, within reason, and you'll be fine."

Dornegut nodded at him. "Thanks Tim."

Tony turned to Gibbs. "You going to let the Director do this?"

"Dornegut needs the field experience. McGee is okay with it. So sit down and shut up, Tony."

"Boss, you mind if I go get some coffee?"

Gibbs nodded at McGee. "Go."

McGee got up and cleared the bullpen before anyone could say another thing.

"This sucks." Tony said to his retreating back.

Dornegut cleared his throat and spoke. "Ah, shouldn't I be at a desk that at least has a computer?"

"Sit down and shut up, Dornegut."

Gibbs gave DiNozzo a look of warning before putting on his glasses and going through his email.

….

Abby looked up from her Mass Spec, wrinkled her nose, and said, "I smell a McGee."

"You didn't even look," he said from the doorway.

She swung her head around, pigtails flying. "Didn't have to. You still use the same soap you did when you started here nine years ago. You're a creature of habit, McGee."

His mouth twitched. "So I'm kind of boring, huh?"

"I never said that." She gave him a look as she moved over to her computer. "So, what's wrong?"

McGee shrugged. "Nothing. Just visiting."

"When you're just visiting, you don't stand at the door like that."

McGee snorted. "You really know me well, Abs."

"I'm kind of in a rush for Balboa's team, but if you want to talk, I'm here to listen. Come here so I can see you better."

Just then Dornegut came sailing by him with a plastic bag. "Hey Abby, Special Agent Gibbs needs you to retest this cold case evidence ASAP."

She put her hands on her hips. "You're interrupting, Dornie."

McGee shrugged. "It's okay. Catch you later, Abs."

He slipped out of the lab and Abby stomped her boot. "You scared him off, Dornie! When he has a problem, McGee can be like an antelope venturing out into the Serengeti, all tentative and fragile, and then you come storming in like a water buffalo and scare him back into the trees."

Dornegut sagged against the counter. "Nobody on Gibbs' team likes me. I thought McGee was the exception, but I guess it was too much to ask considering the circumstances."

"What circumstances?"

"Ah, I think Gibbs needs me back upstairs."

"Yeah, right. Park it, Dornegut. I want to hear everything."

…

"There's a Marine dead in Anacostia. Gear up!"

Everyone grabbed their guns and backpacks and headed for the elevators.

"Gibbs!"

Everyone stopped and turned at the sound of the Director's voice. He was on the stairs watching them. "You got Dornegut. Taking McGee as well is overkill."

Gibbs glared at Vance. "Dornegut is shadowing McGee."

"He already shadowed Hayes on Balboa's team for two months. Got to throw him in the deep end at some point. Besides, McGee is doing a review on some Cyber cases for me. He's got a deadline. Can't stretch him too thin."

Gibbs took a step forward and the team could see that they were about to witness the NCIS version of a cage match, but before a throw down could happen, McGee unholstered his gun. "Director's got a point. I'm up to my ears in files. Any chance I could beg off on this one, Boss? It would really help me."

Everyone had their eyes on Gibbs, and then his shoulders relaxed. "I still need you for the computer stuff."

McGee nodded. "Got it, Boss."

Gibbs threw Vance a hard look before gesturing to the team and walking into the elevator Ziva was holding.

…..

McGee was deep into cold Cyber cases when the team returned from the field. DiNozzo came at him and enveloped him in a hug. "We missed you, McCold Case! Dornegut did everything wrong."

Ziva settled into her desk. "He did not and you were riding him too hard, Tony."

"Builds character," Tony mumbled.

McGee looked up. "You can be a little much, you know. Give him a break."

"He took your place on the team and I don't like it."

"It's not his fault. It's about the triathlon."

"I do not want him getting too comfortable."

"No fear of that," Gibbs said as he entered the bullpen with a fresh coffee. "Did you really tell him to clean the truck with a toothbrush? He wanted to run out to drugstore 'cause he couldn't find any in the truck."

Tony shrugged. "When he's done, it'll be cleaner than it has been in years. It was, what, seven years since you last cleaned it with a toothbrush?"

McGee sighed. "Tony, I appreciate your loyalty, but you're the one who likes to remind me that I was raised by The Great Santini. How do you think I was able to survive you in the early years? Dornegut is a good guy and he doesn't deserve all this."

Gibbs looked up. "McGee is right. Cut him some slack. You don't and I'll find something for you to clean with a toothbrush."

McGee started to open a case file, but found a set of piercing green eyes staring at him. "Abs?"

She stood up and displayed a tight black t-shirt she was wearing that read, "Team McGee".

He winced. "Please tell me there aren't more of those t-shirts."

She shot a hard look at Gibbs. "I'm selling them for $10 a pop."

"I'll buy one," Ziva said reaching for her purse.

"Me too." Tony flipped open his wallet.

McGee bit his lip as he looked down at his desk. He gripped the file tightly to keep from shaking.

Abby cocked her head. "You okay, Timmy?"

McGee stood up suddenly. "It's bad enough having to sit here and play the good sport every day…." His face reddened and he stormed past them, calling over his shoulder. "I'm going for coffee!"

Gibbs put up a hand when Abby started to follow. "Leave him alone. In fact, that goes for all of you. You think you're helping, but you're not. He doesn't need you vocalizing your support or bullying probies for him…or putting his situation on a t-shirt. Just leave him alone."

Ziva swallowed. "He cares more than he says he does."

"I just wanted him to know that I cared, Gibbs."

"Take off the t-shirt, Abby, and get back to work. He needs space right now, not a cheerleading squad."

Tony saw the tears in her eyes. "Come on, Boss."

Gibbs gave them all a hard look. "Listen up. It is what it is. It's not my fault or Dornegut's or even Vance's. It's not fair but that's life. In a situation like this, you just suck it up and you move on. So far, the only one able to do that is McGee. Take a lesson from him."

Ziva nodded. "He's right. Every time we bring it up, we make it worse."

Abby looked down. "I'm sorry. I didn't think."

Gibbs sighed. "It's okay, Abs. Just make sure he doesn't have to see that t-shirt again."

…

McGee sat outside with his coffee, reluctant to return to the bullpen. It was a windy day, but he liked that. Wind was always about change; something blowing in or blowing out. In the last few days, he had felt trapped by everyone's pity and he was due for a little change.

"Hey! Is this seat taken?"

McGee looked up to find Jimmy standing there, a Team McGee t-shirt draped over one arm. "I'm not really in a good mood, Palmer."

Palmer sat. "With the t-shirt comes the entire story."

"At least you're not wearing it."

"Yeah, it turns out that she only bought women's sizes. I thought I would give it to Breena. You okay with that?"

McGee raised an eyebrow. "Hey, if you want your fiancée running around with my name on her chest, go ahead."

Palmer blinked and frowned. "Never thought about it like that."

McGee sighed. "Being a geek never goes away, Jimmy."

He nodded. "True but I kind of see you and I as guys who have embraced our inner geek."

"Yeah. Usually, it doesn't bother me at all. It's just that I feel like I let them down. I had three years to be good enough to compete, and I still wasn't good enough. It's like I deserve to be the last kid picked for the team."

Palmer smiled. "I was the skinniest kid in my high school. All the girls got picked before I did."

"My dad used to say that I just never had that competitive drive."

Palmer considered that for a moment. "Maybe part of that is true. You and I aren't aggressive guys, really. We're thinkers. I wasn't any good at team sports. Always wanted to apologize after I tackled someone. Of course that just made them laugh."

"I wrestled a little in high school, but that worked because it was as much about strategy as it was about strength. I liked outwitting the other guy."

"The only sport I was good at was cross country. I was All State two years in a row. Some days, I felt like I could run for 100 miles."

"Maybe you should be on the team."

"Autopsy Gremlins don't count."

Tim looked at him. "That's not true. Does it bother you that Tony says that?"

Palmer shrugged. "Not really. I mean, Tony is Tony, and teasing is the way he shows that he cares."

McGee nodded. "But…"

"Well, it's like there are two kinds of people in NCIS: those who carry guns and those who don't. For those of us who don't…well, sometimes we wish we had guns too."

"I suppose the gun is sort of cool."

Palmer leaned forward. "But it's more than that. You guys do all the dangerous stuff, and we just back you up. You guys are the front lines."

"But we can't do what we do without you."

"I know. It's okay. We all have our part to play."

Tim shook his head. "I wish I was more like you. You seem content, you know. I wish I had that."

"What's not to be content about? I got a great job, wonderful friends, and most beautiful fiancée in the world. My life rocks. I can't get caught up in wishing I were a guy with a gun. That would just get in the way of everything that's good."

McGee slapped him on the back and stood up. "You're amazing, Palmer. You and I need to have more of these talks."

Palmer looked up. "Really?"

"Absolutely. You reminded me that there are more important things in my life than worrying about a dumb triathlon."

"Cool! Seriously, Dude, anytime. I'm always available to give advice."

….

He leaned against the doorway and watched her work. It was fun to watch her when her frenetic energy was focused. It was the only time he could really describe her as graceful; each movement she made related only to the task at hand. Suddenly, her nose wrinkled and she spun around. "McGee!"

"I overreacted, Abs."

"No! I was stupid. I got rid of all the t-shirts in the building."

He winced. "How many were out there?"

She bit her lip. "A few."

He shrugged in response.

She came at him fast and he barely had time to react before she wrapped her long arms around him. "I'm sorry, Timmy."

He buried his face in her neck. "It's okay."

Her hugs were always long ones so he didn't make any attempt to extricate himself when she held on. "Hey Abs?"

"Yeah," she said into his ear.

"That t-shirt was kinda' cool actually especially when you were wearing it. I was thinking maybe you could keep one and wear it at home."

"Timmy!" She leaned back and gave him a wicked smile.

….

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for continuing to read this story. For some reason, it was really hard to write. I don't why exactly. I wanted everything to work out for the geeks so bad, and somehow I didn't feel like I was in control of that unless I wrote it right and it took forever for it to feel right. Were you ever a geek? I spent time thinking about that. I was smart enough but never tried hard. I think I was the invisible kid; no trouble, not to much to say, just trying to get through the day without getting it wrong.

**The Secret Lives of Geeks**

**Chapter 2**

McGee sat at the edge of the pool and watched Dornegut do laps. The director was right. Dornie had broad shoulders and arms built specifically for the sport. His long arms sliced through the water effortlessly and it was rather amazing to watch. He seemed as comfortable in the water as he was breathing oxygen. McGee couldn't really locate any jealousy over this. Dornegut was designed for swimming just like he was designed to organize and analyze information. One man can't be good at all things.

Dornie hit the end of the pool and rose up, pulling his goggles up. "McGee! What are you doing here?"

Tim shrugged. "The Chief Petty Officer who runs the pool used to serve with my father. He keeps it open for me late a few nights a week."

Dornie pulled himself up on the concrete and sat on the edge, dripping water everywhere. "I didn't realize you were still coming."

"Yeah, well, it got to be a habit. Now, it just seems like good exercise."

"Cool! Hey, we should swim together."

"Yeah, I don't think so. I'm not sure that watching you lap me would do much for my confidence."

"McGee, I'm not that good. Tried out for the Olympic team three times in college. Not one invitation to the camp. And look at my times tonight. I was faster last week."

"Not going to happen. How are things with Tony? It's been two weeks and three cases."

Dornegut groaned. "He's never going to like me, and then there's Gibbs; he hates me."

"Well, Ned, you're wrong on both counts. They're tough men, and they ride probies really hard, but it has nothing to do with whether or not they like you. They want to see how tough you are. Every time you fall down, you get up, brush yourself off, and ask for more. That's how you earn respect."

"When will it stop?"

McGee cocked his head. "Well, let's see. I've been on the team 9 years, and I think it might end for me sometime in the next year or two…or three. If you want to work on the best team in the agency, you gotta' be prepared for constant challenge."

He shook his head. "How have you survived? I mean, you seem so…normal."

McGee chuckled. "You saying that I don't seem as tough as they are. Well, I'm tougher than I look. Let's just say that I grew up with a dad that was a lot like Gibbs."

"I wish you were more involved in the cases right now. I think I could learn so much more if someone was patient enough to walk me through procedures instead of shoving things at me and yelling at me to do it."

"Dornie, there's a difference between wanting something and having something. You want to be on Gibbs' team. You said you'd do anything to be here. Well, this is it. In order to have it, you have to walk through fire. It has to be worth just as much as you thought it would be. If it's easy then you'll wonder why you ever chased it in the first place."

"In other words, it's not worth having unless it's miserable."

McGee sighed. "What do you do when Boss gives you something new and says to do it?"

"Panic."

"Okay, and then you figure it out. It's hard and it's frustrating, and if you screw it up, you get yelled at, but once you get it right, you never forget how to do it. I learned how to do almost everything that way."

"You're a genius. I just feel lost."

"Okay, well the next time you feel lost, just let me know and I'll give you some pointers."

"You're mostly down in Cybercrimes these days."

"Ever heard of phones, Dornegut? I'll help you whenever I can."

Dornie shook his head. "Why are you so nice? I mean, I'm taking your place. By all rights, you should be the meanest one of all."

"It's temporary. Unless you got computer skills I don't know about, I think I'm okay."

"Gibbs kind of has a fit any time he needs you and you're down in Cybercrimes."

"Believe me, I know. I get the phone calls. Now get out of the pool. It's my turn."

"There's room for both of us. This is something I could give you pointers on."

McGee shook his head. "Nope. This is my mountain to climb. Get outta' here already."

McGee waited until the door was closed and then he slid into the water. A grizzled old man limped to the end of the pool. "You ready, McGee? I'm working you hard tonight."

McGee sighed. "Alright, Stoney. I'm in your hands."

….

McGee looked up from the cyber case he was reviewing and sighed. More and more crimes were happening online, and the computer techs in Cybercrimes had to essentially be online NCIS agents. Unfortunately, the techs didn't go through FLETC, and so they weren't trained to be investigators. The cases they opened were often not properly investigated and or followed up on. McGee was cleaning up mistakes in almost every case. He'd talked to Vance and the head of Cybercrimes, Williams, about it, and training was being implemented, but in the meantime, he was sort of the gatekeeper on the cases they'd closed so far.

The case worrying him today involved a Marine Sergeant named Lucy Prentiss. She was a highly decorated veteran who came back from Afghanistan missing a leg. She came home to a family in crisis. Within months of returning, her husband had left and the family home had foreclosed. Prentiss and her teen-age daughter had moved into a trailer park. Cybercrimes got involved when Prentiss claimed her dentist had put pictures of her daughter on a website for pedophiles followed by the disappearance of her 16 year old daughter.

Local LEO's investigated and determined that the daughter most likely ran away after numerous fights with her mother. Runaways never held much interest for law enforcement. They either returned home or ended up with family somewhere. They assumed that ones that ended up on the street wanted to be there.

Cybercrimes had worked the angle with dentist posting pictures of her daughter, but this had gone nowhere. Prentiss had literally no basis for this accusation, and the techs working the case made only cursory inquiries into the dentist.

The case was as stale as old bread primarily because Prentiss had become only a shadow of her former self since she returned from her tour of duty. In addition to a prosthetic leg, she now carried a diagnosis of PTSD. The former Marine coped by drinking from the moment she got up in the morning until she passed out in the evening. Every contact Cybercrimes had with her had been filled with confusion and profanity. Thus, no one had even bothered to follow up with her in the two months since her case had gone cold.

The whole thing bothered McGee. He couldn't help feeling like she was a war hero had been abandoned by everyone including the Navy. She'd paid a high price for her service, and she should be taken care of as a result. The case notes were abysmal, and when he tried to call her, she'd merely cursed at him and hung up.

The team was out on a murder suicide that was proving to be pretty complicated so McGee left a note for the boss, packed his backpack, and headed out for a trailer park in rural Virginia.

…

Palmer leaned across the counter with his face in his hands. "Geeks don't get any respect, Abby."

She looked up. "They do when you wear spikes and skulls."

He rolled his eyes. "Not everyone can get away with that."

"Geeks rule the world, Palmer. We just don't advertise it."

"I don't feel like I rule the world."

"Palmer, what is bothering you?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe the Forensics team should be in the triathlon. Maybe, we should show them that geeks are just as good as they are."

"This is really bothering you, isn't it?"

Palmer threw up his hands. "And I have no idea why."

"Feeling for McGee?"

"Maybe a little. The truth is that I can really run, Abby. I can run like the wind."

"I'll watch you run."

He gave her a crooked smile. "That's great and all, but you already know that I'm more than just an Autopsy Gremlin. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "Maybe we should have a team in the triathlon."

"I checked. The deadline for registration was a couple of weeks ago. Plus, I don't know if we even could get McGee to compete and we don't have anyone for the cycling portion."

Abby jumped up and down, clapping. "I can ride a bike! I can ride a bike!"

"But can you race a bike?"

"Well, I don't know, but my bike is cool. It has a basket and a bell and these cool handlebars that curve up."

"Yeah, sounds good. I figure we have a year to work on all that. Gonna' have to introduce you to a new kind of bike though."

"Cool!"

….

McGee was a few steps away from her trailer door when he spotted the gun in the window. He drew his weapon, dove for the steps, and started shouting "NCIS" simultaneously. He wasn't sure what part of that didn't translate because a shotgun sent three rounds in his direction. The rounds hit the ground and dug up craters around him. Her aim sucked. He rolled up against the concrete steps and pulled out his phone. His first instinct was to call the Sheriff, but then he imagined them roughly pulling a legless woman out in handcuffs and pushing her into a squad car. Another round hit the dirt about ten feet away from him and grit his teeth. He made a decision and hit Gibbs' number.

….

"Since when does Probie get to investigate cases all on his own?" Tony demanded as he leaned over the front seat between Gibbs and Ziva.

"He wasn't investigating anything. He was just following up."

"Someone tried to kill him, Gibbs, and yet you are completely calm," Ziva said.

"She ran out of ammunition and he said he was fine."

"He's out there alone!"

"Ziva, he said there were special circumstances. If he says he's okay, I believe him. Now, both of you need to shut up. The turn off is coming right up."

A few minutes later, the sedan rolled into a rundown trailer park off the highway. The road was unpaved and filled with potholes. Gibbs turned carefully to avoid three children playing in the road. Prentiss' trailer was at the end of the park and her yard was overgrown. The trailer was in a state of disrepair and one of the windows was clearly broken. They pulled up next to McGee's car.

"Where is he?" Ziva hissed pulling her gun.

They all got out of the car armed. Tony yelled, "McGee! McGee!"

McGee's head poked through the broken window. "I'm here. It's all good. Everything is fine."

"What the hell are you doing in there?"

"I took her guns away."

"I got more!" Came a shrill voice from inside the trailer.

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Sergeant Prentiss, you are in the presence of federal agents! Stand down or you're going to jail!"

"Do it, you Federal asshole! I dare you!"

McGee peaked through the window again. "Ignore her. I have her handcuffed to the radiator. She's just talking."

"I'm coming in, McGee."

"That's good, Boss, but there's not a lot of space in here. Tony, I was wondering if you and Ziva could go get her leg back while the Boss and I are talking to the sergeant."

"What?"

"She has a prosthetic leg and the neighbor kids took it a few days ago. She needs it back."

Tony looked skyward. "Does she know who might have her leg?"

McGee's head disappeared for a few moments, and he was back. "She thinks it's in the blue trailer four doors down on the right."

"Boss!"

"Go get her leg, Tony."

Tony shook his head and gestured to Ziva. She followed him down the gravel road. Gibbs climbed the steps into the trailer and was struck by the stale heat that hit him. The space was filled top to bottom with boxes leaving little room for the few pieces of living room furniture.

Lucy Prentiss was sitting in a recliner, one hand cuffed to the radiator. One pant leg lay flat where her missing prosthetic should be. Her eyes watched McGee as he gently searched her kitchen. "I keep telling you that you don't have a warrant. You have no right!"

McGee's head popped up. "And I keep telling you that I am not trying to arrest you. I have probable cause and I have to round up your arsenal."

Lucy swung her head in Gibbs' direction. "He said you were a Marine."

Gibbs noted that she was still young, but her eyes were lined and weary. He sat on a high backed chair across from her. "Yes Sergeant, I am."

McGee found two Marine issue knives in a cupboard and deposited them in a growing pile in the counter. "Ma'am, I hate to go into your bedroom without your permission, but you can't stockpile like this. Can you help me here?"

Gibbs nodded at her. "My agent's right. You don't want to end up in jail."

She shook her head. "I don't really care."

"McGee here might go blind if he has to go through your unmentionables. He's got an old school code of honor."

She closed her eyes. "I have a side arm in a box under my bed and a semi-automatic hidden in the floor of the closet."

"You got that, Tim?"

McGee nodded and navigated past the debris into the back bedroom.

"I don't much about your case. Can you tell me a little bit?"

She smirked. "NCIS has put zero into this. I haven't had anyone return a phone call in two months."

"That's why the case ended up on McGee's desk. He returns all his calls. Tell me about your case."

"My dentist is an online pervert and he posted my daughter's pictures on a predator's website, and then she ran away."

"Your daughter still missing?"

Prentiss looked back. "You touch my underwear, McGee, and I'll gut you!"

"Sergeant! Have you heard from your daughter?"

"She called me from my sister's six weeks ago. She's staying with her in Kentucky. She won't come back."

"Sergeant, why are you living here? You're isolated, probably 40 minutes from a good hospital—"

"I'm not going back to a hospital! Is that why you're here? I won't go! I spent nine months in a hospital. I'll die before I go back."

"You can't live here."

She shook her head. "Navy doesn't care. I got my disability and I live just fine. He can take all the weapons he wants, and I'll still be able to defend myself."

"You need help, Sergeant."

"No more drugs or therapists or groups. Everyone wanted me to wallow in my memories and I won't do it."

There was a knock on the door, and Tony and Ziva crowded in. Tony handed Gibbs a prosthetic leg. "Kids took it because they say the Sergeant here drinks all day and shoots her gun off."

"Lies! They steal things from me!"

Tony nodded. "They tried to hide a TV in the kitchen, but I found it and brought it along. I'm assuming its yours."

"They wait until I'm sleeping and then they break in and take what they want. They took my leg so I don't walk down the road and shoot them."

Tony looked at Gibbs. "This whole situation is ripe for a disaster. I can see the headlines on ZNN now."

"I'm not leaving!"

McGee lugged in several weapons from the bedroom. "Ma'am, you neglected to mention the other shot gun behind dresser."

"Did you go through my underwear drawer?"

"No ma'am."

Gibbs gestured at Ziva. "The bedroom needs a better search than McGee can give."

Ziva nodded and wormed her way past McGee.

Gibbs leaned toward Prentiss. "I can't force you to leave, Sergeant. So, here's what's going to happen. We're going to take your weapons. Agent DiNozzo here is going back down the street to tell the neighbors that if anyone takes another thing from you, the Marines are going to descend on them and take this whole park apart. Agent McGee here is going to investigate this dentist. If the man is dealing with child pornography, my agent will find it. In the meantime, I have some friends that I'm going to bring around tomorrow. There will be no cussing or threats or weapons. They will be here to help you and you will listen. Understand, Sergeant Prentiss!"

"Yes Gunny!"

"That's the problem. You need some discipline. Need to get you in a uniform again."

"Need two legs for that, Gunny."

"No, Sergeant, you need heart and courage. A pair of legs never won a single battle. Remember that."

Gibbs turned to his agents. "Tony, get your ass back down to the neighbors now! McGee, get this window boarded up, and then you and I are going to drive back to NCIS together while I give you a little refresher course on entering an unsecured domicile without backup."

…..

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Things are still rough for the geeks, but they are getting better soon. I appreciate everyone who is taking the time to read this story and let me know. Thank you so much. Sheila

**The Secret Lives of Geeks**

**Chapter 3**

It was late afternoon that McGee saw Gibbs next at the coffee kiosk outside the NCIS building. He trotted up to him. "Boss, how did it go with Prentiss today?"

Gibbs saw him, turned back to the barista and ordered a coffee for McGee as well. He handed it to McGee. "It was colorful to say the least, but we got her into rehab and closed up the trailer."

"How did you do that? I didn't think anything was going to get her to leave that dump."

"I brought her former CO and a couple of people from Wounded Warriors, an outreach group that advocates for returning vets. There are a disturbing number of soldiers in her situation. Their families can't cope with the Posttraumatic Stress and the injuries, and the vets end up self-destructing. Probably wouldn't have gotten it done if her CO wasn't there. He's probably the most relevant relationship in her life right now. Have you found anything on what she said about the dentist?"

McGee winced. "She didn't give me much to go on."

"Tim, I realize that she's not mentally stable, and she's been drinking too hard, but she is a well trained Marine with an exemplary record. The woman has been trained to smell out a predator. I got a feeling about this."

McGee nodded. "Should I go interview her?"

"No, leave her alone. She needs to detox. I looked at the file and I asked her some questions. Both she and her daughter use this dentist. She says that when she saw him six months ago, she talked about problems with her daughter while she was having a root canal. He gave her too much anesthetic, and she remembers falling asleep. A few weeks later, she got a call from the local PD because pictures of her daughter ended up on a child pornography website. These pictures were not digital and had been in her wallet. She is convinced he took them out when she under anesthesia. Her daughter had also had a dental visit with him and then she acted strangely afterward. She found a strange number on her daughter's cell, and when she called it, she claims she recognized the voice of the dentist. That's all she's got."

"I'll look into it, Boss." He started off when he saw Chief Petty Officer Stonestreet in line for coffee. Stoney nodded at him and McGee waved at him as he passed.

Gibbs watched McGee disappear into the building. He waited until Stoney got his coffee and beckoned him over. "Hey Stoney, I hear you accommodated McGee with some extra swimming hours at the pool. I just wanted to say thank you."

"No problem, Gunny. I think he's really starting to improve. I'll see him again tonight."

Gibbs did a double take. "He didn't tell you he wasn't competing?"

"Oh, he told me. That's not going to stop him."

"Seriously?"

Stoney walked his coffee over to a park bench and sat down. "He still comes three times a week for practice. You probably don't know this, but I've known Tim since he was about 10 years old. Served with his father on board the Delaware and lived on the same base for about five years. The kid is as stubborn as his old man is. He might not be in that triathlon, but he still has something to prove to himself."

Gibbs sat down beside him. "Sounds like him. How's he doing?"

"Well, he could really be a strong swimmer, but he's letting himself get in his way. You see, a really good swimmer is like a one celled organism. He doesn't think, he just does. Like that Dornegut; swimming is natural for him. He doesn't think about breathing or how else someone is doing; he just swims as hard and fast as he can. There's no fear, no anxiety. Tim, on the other hand, is too stuck in his head. Every time, I watch him, I can see him thinking about what he's doing, evaluating how well he's doing it."

"His brain is pretty considerable, Stoney. It's his bread and butter."

"It's also where he stores his memories. More than anything, he thinks about his breathing. When he swims, he takes an extra breath every ten strokes or so. He does that because he's afraid if he doesn't, that he won't be able to breath."

"I don't understand."

"That's 'cause you're a hardheaded Marine whose job it is to get off the water and fight on land. I've been training sailors to swim for 45 years now. You see this every once in a while when a person has a near drowning in their past, probably in their childhood. Their brain gets hardwired to worry about breathing when they get in the water."

Gibbs nodded. "You know he gets seasick as hell on any kind of vessel."

"Oh yeah."

"Do you know what happened?"

Stoney wrinkled his nose. "Not really my story to tell."

"The kid is too private. He's never going to tell me."

Stoney took a deep breath. "He used to love to play down at the marina. I'd see him there all the time with his little buddy. He loved going out on boats. The skipper even gave me permission to take him fishing a couple of times. The kid was so polite, way too nice. Bigger kids picked on him. Then one afternoon, some brats tied him up and left him in a dinghy. Storm came up and the dinghy got loose. It drifted for several hours before it got caught on the rocks. A buddy of mine told me that Tim was still tied up struggling to keep his head above the water at the bottom of the boat when they found him. Kid never came down to the marina after that although the old man dragged him down a few times to try and put him back on the horse as they say."

"Didn't go well?"

Stoney shook his head. "Saw Tim get off his dad's sailboat once as white as a sail. The skipper looked furious. Kid doubled over on the dock and started retching whatever was left in his gut, and the old man walked past him like he wasn't even there. The whole idea of water is real complicated for him, but I think he's going to hang in there until he beats it."

Gibbs sat silently for a moment.

"Won't do my relationship with him much good if you tell him I told you that story, Gunny."

"Yeah well, I'm not much for sharing secrets myself. I don't see any reason to bring it up unless he does."

….

McGee sat in the Dr. Wallon's waiting room. The man had a healthy practice. The office had a steady stream of adults and children, and it seemed to him that if the man were inappropriate with children, it would've come to the surface by now. McGee remembered a documentary called Trekkies that featured a dentist who was obsessed with Star Trek and decorated his office like a starship. This office was nowhere near that gimmicky but there was a distinct Harry Potter theme going on. Pictures from the movies and other references littered the walls. He could imagine that kids relaxed once they were an atmosphere like this.

A very pretty dental assistant gestured to him and he followed her to Dr. Wallon's office. The man immediately got up with a broad smile and shook hands with him. He reminded McGee of a friendly, middle-aged relative. He gestured to a chair. "What can I do for you, Special Agent McGee?"

"I want to ask you a few questions about Lucy Prentiss and her daughter, Jennifer."

The smile on his face dropped. "Oh no, I had hoped it wasn't about her again. I thought she dropped all of that nonsense."

"In fact, she has not, and I am here to follow up."

"Listen Agent McGee, I was only trying to help. She seemed lost, troubled, and I was trying to be a good citizen."

"To whom are you referring? Mrs. Prentiss or her daughter."

"Well, both of them actually. I worked on Lucy first. Her teeth were a nightmare: probably from the stress of being a soldier and the drinking. I could smell it on her breath. Patients don't get to talk much, but she kept interrupting the procedure. Wanted to tell me that she and her daughter weren't getting along. I thought she was asking for advice. Anyway, she fell asleep at some point while we were developing x-rays and when she woke up, she was really agitated. Thought I had drugged her. She left suddenly. Then a few weeks later, her daughter came in to have her teeth cleaned. The kid was stressed. I asked her if there was anything I could do. She said she just wanted to get away from her mother. She mentioned that they were out of food, but her mother was too proud to go to a food shelf, and being a Good Samaritan, I gave her $100. That probably upset her mother."

McGee raised an eyebrow. Lucy hadn't mentioned anything about the dentist giving Jennifer money. "Mrs. Prentiss mentioned that you called her daughter."

Wallon skipped a beat and then said. "I often follow up on my patients, and I was particularly worried about Jennifer based on what she told me about her home life. I did call and when I realized it was Lucy, I hung up. I wasn't in the mood for a scolding."

"You didn't have any other contact with Jennifer or Lucy."

"No, I learned my lesson. I told my office manager to wipe their balance off the books and to refer them to another dentist if either called again."

"Did Lucy Prentiss ever show you pictures of Jennifer?"

Wallon sat back and wiped his hand across his mouth. "Is that a crime? If it is, then I don't know about it. I'm friendly. People show me pictures of their children. It's not inappropriate."

"Those pictures ended up on a website frequented by child pornographers."

"I can barely operate a computer, Agent McGee. It's why I have staff. I mean, who knows how they got there. Maybe Jennifer put them there. Aren't kids posting all kinds of bad stuff these days?"

"You don't anything else."

"No."

McGee got up. The friendliness was gone between them, but McGee was used to that. He stopped at the door. "You didn't ask if Jennifer has returned home."

Wallon shrugged. "I don't ask anything about that family anymore."

McGee nodded. "You mentioned that you're a friendly guy and that you care about your patients. I just thought you should know that she's safe and staying with relatives."

"Good." It was curt and final, and then Wallon pretended interest in the papers on his desk rather than acknowledge him.

…

"Ma'am, I'm doing the best I can…I haven't found a connection…No, I haven't stopped working on it. I do have other things on my plate…No ma'am, I wasn't insinuating that your situation isn't a priority…I'm hoping to talk to Jennifer in a day or two…No, I won't traumatize her. I just want to know what she remembers…You have Special Agent Gibbs' number if you unsatisfied…Yes ma'am, you can call me anytime…Ma'am, are you still there or did you hang up?" McGee sighed into the dial tone and put the phone down.

Seconds later, the phone rang at Gibbs' desk, and then McGee sighed as he imagined the message Sgt. Prentiss was leaving for him.

The elevator opened and the team piled out. McGee looked up at the clock and saw that it was almost midnight. The team had been chasing a sailor who strangled his girlfriend two days ago. Tony came bounding up to him. "McPaperwork, you're still here!"

McGee didn't bother to remind him that he was there most nights until midnight trying to meet the demands of his cyber assignment and Gibbs' cases. "How did it go?"

Tony went into a crouch. "You should've seen it. We caught him at his mother's house, but he went out the back. Ziva and I followed while Gibbs and 2.0 tried to cut him off in the car—"

"2.0?"

"Dornie! You know, the newer version of you. So you know how Gibbs has a sixth sense. He pulls into the alley just as this hump runs out, 2.0 jumps out and tackles him so hard that the idiot ends up with a concussion. He confessed at the hospital between CAT scans."

Ziva came up followed by a disheveled but excited Dorengut. Gibbs sat down at his desk. She smiled. "Hi McGee! Were you waiting for us?"

"I've been buried in these cyber files plus all the stuff—"

"You should've seen 2.0 in action! He has that linebacker component that has long been missing from this team." Tony had his arm around Dornegut's broad shoulders. "I mean, this guy was big. McGee, you would've been on a losing end of a wrestling match if you'd been there instead of 2.0. I would've had to deliver the final smackdown."

McGee's face reddened. Ziva noticed and punched Tony. "Shut up!"

"What? What'd I do?"

"McGee!"

Everyone turned to face Gibbs. "I just got a call from Sgt. Prentiss. She says you've lost interest in her case!"

"Not true, Boss. I just haven't found the connection yet."

"What the hell is holding you up? Do I have to ride you on this? Is your little cyber assignment taking up too much of your time?"

McGee looked down at the pile of cases in front of him. Then he thought about how he'd gotten in at 6:30 a.m. and calculated that he'd been there for 17 ½ hours. He looked up at all the faces staring at him. "I'm going home."

Ignoring Gibbs should've been an invitation for a memorable tongue lashing, but there was something about the quality in his voice. Gibbs just watched him.

Tony grabbed his stuff. "Hey Tim, I'm an idiot. Let's go find a bar and do last call. My treat."

Tim grabbed his backpack and shook his head. When he got to the elevator, Ziva turned to Tony and punched him again. "You are stupid! And stop calling Dornegut 2.0. He is not an improved version of McGee!"

She flashed her dark eyes at Gibbs for a moment but said nothing. She shook her head and trotted after McGee.

…..

Abby had her hands on her hips as she surveyed the bullpen. "Okay, where are you hiding him? I can't find my McGee anywhere."

Ziva looked up. "I don't know. He's somewhere in the building, maybe the sub-basement. He said he needed quiet today to work on his cases, and I think he has had enough of us."

Abby looked at Tony darkly. "Dornie told me."

"Abs, it was a slip. I didn't mean anything. Come on! McGee knows his limitations."

Ziva glared. "Well, if he doesn't, you're certainly around to remind him."

Gibbs looked up. "Anybody going to do any work today?"

Abby whirled on him. "I know you well enough to know how much you care, but would it hurt to act like it sometimes!"

Everyone froze as Gibbs and Abby glared at each other. Finally, he said. "Abby! This is not time nor the place."

She bit her lip and then looked at Ziva. "If you see him, tell me that me and Jimmy are getting together tonight to plan for next year's triathlon."

Tony screwed up his face. "We haven't had this year's triathlon. It's in two weeks."

"I know."

"And what exactly are you planning?"

"We're stealing Timmy and putting him on Team Geek for next year's triathlon."

"Team Geek?"

"Yeah Tony, gotta' problem with it? Do you think we don't want some of the glory sometimes? Jimmy was an all state runner, and I'm going to learn how to race a bike, and Tim is working really hard to be a strong swimmer. You act like you're the only ones who deserve to be heroes."

"You can't have him, Abs. McGee is ours. We get him next year."

"Sorry. He's a free agent, and he deserves to be on a team that appreciates him."

Gibbs slammed his palm on the desk. "If I hear one more thing about this idiotic triathlon, I am going to fire all of you!"

Abby turned on her heel, her pigtails flying. "I'm going, but I hope somebody runs into him. Dornie told me how late he was here yesterday and I know what time he came in. I also happen to know he survived on energy bars for food all day yesterday. Someone should pay attention to the fact he's doing the work of three agents right now."

…..

McGee leaned into the screen. He couldn't find any evidence that Dr. Wallon had any internet accounts until he started going through Wallon's financials. There he found rent payments to an apartment in Baltimore. From that address, he found that internet service was included in the building's rental agreement. He hacked into the building's rental office and got all of the accounts for the building. He was quickly able to narrow down the Wallon's account by username.

He'd been able to accomplish all of that by 9 a.m. and now it was late afternoon, and he'd spent those hours deep in the secret life of Dr. Wallon. He was used to chasing criminals through their financials and incriminating emails. He was unprepared for the surreal and ugly world of the pedophilia. He found himself in chat rooms where euphemisms were used to discuss children and sex. Not only did he feel sick, he had no idea on how to engage these men in conversation. It was still a long way from proving that Dr. Wallon was inappropriate with Jennifer Prentiss.

With a groan he leaned back and rubbed his eyes. An ache in the pit of his stomach reminded him that he'd left his power bars in his desk upstairs. He contemplated a trip upstairs when he felt a presence behind him. He turned and found Gibbs standing in the doorway, arms folded.

"Boss?" He turned his head, locating his phone beside his computer. "Were you trying to get a hold of me?"

"Are you trying to work yourself out of a job?"

"Huh?"

"You're going to end up being so indispensible to Vance that he's not going to let you return to the team."

McGee stood up suddenly, bumping his knee. "What! That's not what I want."

"Then tell me what you want."

"What I had. I didn't ask for any of this."

Gibbs sighed. "You're right, Tim, but you have a lot of talents. Being the member of a MCRT team isn't going to contain you for much longer."

"Yeah, but I am a member of the best MCRT team on the Eastern seaboard. That keeps me more than satisfied."

'You're unwilling to do a job without giving it 100% and you've been given too much to do. The problem is that you're going to get swallowed up if you don't start setting some limits."

"Really? Who should I set them with? You or Vance?"

Gibbs smiled. "You're getting pretty feisty there, McGee."

McGee sighed. "Dr. Wallon is a pedophile. I'm almost sure of it. I found the websites. The language is couched in euphemisms, but I get the general drift. I can't figure out how to tie him to it. It's not enough to be on these sites. I found out he has another apartment. We'll find things there. I know it. We just need a warrant."

"You need to talk to the girl first. She's going to give you probable cause."

McGee closed his eyes. "The only thing as scary to me as pedophiles are teenage girls."

Gibbs smirked. "Come on, Tim. You're not a scrawny kid anymore. She's probably going to think you're cute."

"I don't think there's ever been a time a teenage girl thought I was cute."

Gibbs chuckled. "McGee, listen up. You have to know that I'm hard on you because I know what you're capable of. I have a lot of faith in you and I know you can handle this."

McGee shook his head. "Not something like this: not by myself."

"You know where to find me."

"Things getting busy up there?"

"Balboa's team are at Quantico for the week. We're on call the next five days. The best I can do is to try to have Abby carry what I usually ask you to do."

McGee nodded and looked back at his screen.

Gibbs stopped at the door. "You're not alone, Tim. Not around here and never on my team. I always have your six. It's just that I don't need to follow so close anymore. You're that good."

McGee rubbed at his eyes after Gibbs left. "Thanks Boss…I think."

…..

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: One more chapter after this. I so hope you are enjoying it. Sheila

**The Secret Lives of Geeks**

**Chapter 4**

Tony leaned against the sterile steel counter in autopsy. Ducky looked up from his notes. "Tony, are you sure I can't do something for you?"

"I'm hanging out. People hang out in the bullpen, but no one ever hangs out in autopsy."

"True. Think about what you just said and you might glean the answer as to why that is."

Tony shrugged. "You guys are underappreciated. I just wanted you to know I'm thinking about you."

Palmer's head popped up from the drawer he was scrubbing. "That's nice, Tony."

"Yeah, Abby tells me you're quite a runner."

Jimmy smiled. "Used to be in the day. I guess this triathlon business sort got me thinking about it again. I've been running all week. My times aren't bad."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Tell me what they are."

"Yesterday, I ran six miles and paced at 6:43 a mile."

"Damn! That's good."

"What are you pacing at?"

Tony shrugged. "Aw well, it depends on the day. I try not to talk about it. Don't want the other teams to find out."

Jimmy nodded. "I get it. It's important to keep on the down low."

"Abby says you're going for a Geek team next year."

"We're thinking about it. Depends on if Tim will be swimming for you and then there's Abby. I showed her what a racing bike looks like, but she still wants to decorate it with a basket, streamers, a ringer, and big handlebars. She also wants to wear these white vinyl go-go boots. Not sure she really gets the whole concept of a race."

Tony nodded. "I think a Geek team is a really good idea. I was thinking that maybe you and I could start running together. Might be kind of fun, and um, we could put Ziva to work on Abby. She might turn her into a competitor yet."

Jimmy's face spread into a toothy smile. "Really? That would be so great! I would love it."

Autopsy doors slid open and McGee hurried in. He looked pale and harried. He took in the room. "Sorry for the interruption. I didn't realize you were working a case. Jimmy and Ducky, could you let me know when you have some time?"

"We have time now, Timothy. Tony was just down here exploring the world of Geekdom."

"What? I was just hanging out."

"Um, what I need is something pretty unorthodox and I understand if you can't help."

"You're shaky, Timothy. Sit down. I want to check your blood pressure."

McGee let Ducky lead him to a stool and he clasped his trembling hands together. Ducky quickly attached a blood pressure cuff. "I've been tracking a pedophile the last few days. It's hard to connect an online name to a crime. I talked to Fornell, and he said that a number of these cases have been thrown out because the chain of evidence from online persona to the actual crimes is really hard to substantiate."

"Good Lord! Your blood pressure is 185/128. Unacceptable! What are you eating? Are you sleeping?"

"Power bars and a few hours here and there. That's not important right now, Ducky."

"Oh, you're wrong about that. We're going to need to change your regimen or I'll have you pulled from the case."

"Tim, maybe Ducky's right. Sounds like a case for the FBI Child Pornography Task Force." Tony said softly.

"Talked to them. The internet is a cesspool of child pornographers and pedophiles. They are so overwhelmed that they estimate it will be at least two months before they can take over the case."

"What do you need from us?" Palmer sat down next to McGee.

"Your brother is a dentist, right?"

"Yeah. He's got a really successful practice in North Carolina."

McGee looked at him. "I thought maybe you understood that language a little bit. No one says anything very clearly on any of these sites, but the one where he's most active is a site particularly for dentists with certain proclivities. Sometimes, I can't tell if the euphemisms they are using are about dentistry or about children. I get lost sometimes."

"Absolutely. I want to help."

"Hold on, Mr. Palmer. We need to think about this."

McGee nodded. "Ducky's right. I've been nauseous for three days reading what they want to do to children and what they have already done. I close my eyes and it gets worse. I hate to ask you. You're one of the most gentle people I know, and don't want to expose you to this, but I'm scared to let this case sit for two months. I've figured out what his screen name is. It's Snape60. He has Harry Potter paraphernalia all over his office and 1960 is his birth year. From his talk, I think he's been meeting with a young girl, maybe two."

"Son of a bitch!" Tony growled.

"I want to do this, McGee. I can handle it."

Ducky sighed. "If we're doing this, then I'm supervising both of you. You will eat and sleep when I tell you."

"I want a piece of this! I dream about ten minutes with a hump like this. It would be the ultimate birthday present." Tony started pacing.

McGee shook his head. "I talked to Vance. The team is still pulling call for the next three days. He gave me a couple of guys to follow Wallon, but that's all for right now."

"Wait until Boss hears this. There is nothing he hates worse than a pedophile."

"I already know, Tony." Gibbs came sailing in. "Just finished with the director." He looked McGee over. "He said you looked like hell."

"He's on my watch now," Ducky said.

"Good!"

"Boss, we're on this case now, right?"

Gibbs sighed. "Peripherally. There was another rape this morning outside of Norfolk. That makes three in a month."

Tony pointed. "What do you think this dentist is doing to little kids?"

"Right now, he's under surveillance and we're building a case. If he goes near another child, they'll move in. We take this one slow because we need to do it right. The yeoman who was raped needs us now. Grab your gear and I'll meet you out in the truck."

Tony shook his head and looked ready to start protesting again when Gibbs gave him a look. So he slammed a hand down on the counter and stormed out. Gibbs turned to the rest of them. "If I had my way, we'd be handling this much differently. We got a resource problem right now. Balboa better get his fat ass back here pronto is all I can say."

McGee nodded. "Right now, it's a matter of gathering evidence. I'm been coding the conversations so we can build profiles on more than just Wallon."

"You're going up to interview Jennifer Prentiss?"

"Finally got permission from the Sergeant this morning. She's still pretty heated; thinks I'm not trying hard enough. I'll drive to Kentucky this evening after work."

"On the sleep you've gotten? Absolutely not, Timothy."

McGee looked at Gibbs. "If you're okay with it, I was going to ask Abby to drive. It should be about 8 hours each way. Today is Friday, and we'll be back by Sunday."

"Bet she knows how to talk to teenage girls."

McGee gave him a ghost of a smile. "It crossed my mind."

"You're not in this alone. From the looks of you, I should've been hearing from you a lot more than I have been in the last few days."

"You've been busy."

Gibbs wagged a finger at him. "Start talking to me, McGee. I want a sit rep at least twice a day from you."

McGee nodded. Gibbs reached over and slapped him on the back. "This is good work you're doing, Tim. Don't forget that."

McGee watched him leave autopsy before turning to Jimmy. "I'll set it up on your computer in here. Be good if Ducky is nearby for support. I have a program set up where we are inputting names of chat users, incriminating phrases, euphemisms we don't understand, anything that constitutes information about locations of users or identifying information. I'm also going to ask you to talk to your brother. Right now, we are only lurking, but on this site, we can join as a user, and I'd like to know if he'll let us use him as a cover."

"My brother, Brian, has three girls under the age of 10. Believe me, he'll help in any way he can."

"Good. Let's get this thing started."

…..

Ziva sat down next to Tony in the waiting room and handed him a coffee. Tony nodded. "How is she?"

"Traumatized. Angry. But she gave a good description of her rapist. We just need to wait a few minutes for the ER doc to finish his report."

Tony looked down at the steam rising up from his coffee.

"So, how did it go 'hanging out' in autopsy?"

Tony gave her a look. "I was just being nice."

"You're feeling guilty. What Abby said, got to you."

"If Jimmy and I raced five miles tomorrow, he would beat me by at least a minute."

Ziva raised her eyebrows. "Well, he's built like a runner. Does it bother you that he can beat you?"

"I don't want do the triathlon next year. Hell, I don't want to do it this year. It's not fun anymore. This thing has upset the balance on the team. McGee isn't where he's supposed to be. The geeks are staging an uprising. I don't like it."

She watched him carefully. "Why?"

Tony winced. "Abby's right. We get the attention, but they do just as much as we do. Plus, I don't like the sense that the Roman Senators are throwing their gladiators, which is us, into the coliseum to fight to the death."

She shook her head. "That's a rather graphic image."

"We're not doing this triathlon for the team this year. We're doing it for some bet SecNav made with SecArm. It's not right and it's messing with our karma."

She cocked her head. "True but the one good thing that comes out of this mess is a greater appreciation of our friends."

"Ziva, I have a dangerous little idea."

….

Jimmy rubbed at his tired eyes. A gentle hand patted his shoulder and he looked up. Ducky handed him a cup of tea. Jimmy took a sip and endeavored not to grimace. Ducky favored a rather bitter brand of Earl Grey that Jimmy found to be unpalatable. Yet the gesture of his mentor guiding him through this and the hot liquid soothing his throat made up for its taste.

Jimmy turned to Ducky. "Do you think that true pedophilia has biological origins?"

"Does it matter? If your desires cause harm to others, it can never be excused."

"These…people seem to truly believe that they aren't doing anything wrong."

Ducky frowned. "I don't believe that. I think there can be some level of denial, but mostly I think there is a basic need to justify their actions."

"I told Tim a few weeks ago that sometimes I wish that I was a guy with a gun. Sometimes, I think that they have the more exciting job, but if I had to deal with guys like this…well, I don't want to be a guy with a gun."

"Do you remember how drawn and pale Timothy was when he came into autopsy today? He was very tired, but he was also very affected by what he'd been reading. I don't know that anyone can really hunt these sorts of predators for very long without losing their way."

Jimmy swallowed. "Well, I seem to be making some progress. I'm coding everything like McGee wants. I think I understand most of what they're saying. I've called my brother three times for clarifications on terms."

"Mr. Palmer, you're doing an excellent job, but you're sitting there like an sentinel unable to leave his post. Timothy has set this up so it will record everything. You have to walk away for a while. Go home. Eat something. Hug the lovely Breena. And then take the sleeping pills I'm going to give you."

Jimmy looked stricken. "What if something happens?"

"He's being followed. No child will be allowed to enter his apartment. I promise you."

"I'm coming back tomorrow."

"You'll work on this only when I am here. You are not an agent, and even if you were, no one can do this kind of work in isolation."

"You'll come in tomorrow? It's a Saturday."

"Of course, I will. I want this man caught as badly as you do."

….

She picked up the buzzing phone and put it to her ear while she was driving down the dark highway. "Hi Gibbs…No, he's sleeping." She glanced over at him gently snoring, the side of his face pasted to the window glass. "Well, it's 4 a.m. and I think we're going to get into town in about an hour. Tim said we should get a few hours of sleep and then we'll go meet with Jennifer Prentiss…Uh, I think he's fine. He's been restless. Was on the phone with Jimmy and Ducky the first few hours. He really wants this guy bad, but I think we all do…Actually, I'm kind of excited to help. I know I'm not an agent, but I've helped out at a runaway shelter and I think I know some good things to say…Gibbs, it's so sweet that you're worried about him. It's cute!"

McGee shifted and lifted his head from the glass, his eyes half-mast. "Abs, is it for me?"

"No, no, no. Go back to sleep."

McGee's head dropped against the glass again.

"Shhh!" She cautioned into the phone. "Not so loud, Gibbs…Yes, I will make sure that we call you as soon as we're done with the interview…Yes, I'm being careful on the road. Good-bye!"

….

"How's your sandwich?"

Dornegut looked over at DiNozzo. "Good."

Tony shrugged. "It's sort of the best you can get in the Navy Yard on a Saturday."

Dornegut eyed him warily. "It's fine."

"I just wanted to tell you that you've been doing a good job these last few weeks."

"Really?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

Dornegut put down the sandwich and wiped his mouth. "Okay, DiNozzo, you're freaking me out now."

"You're right. You're right. I do have something I need to talk about with you."

"Do you have the authority to fire me?"

"No! It's nothing like that. It's…well, it's this thing with McGee. This triathlon thing and McGee being pulled off the team; it's not right. Dornie, it's caused a rift in the space time continuum."

"Huh?"

Tony shook his head. "Everything is off. We've woken the sleeping giant and the barbarians are at the gates. The geeks are preparing to revolt, and frankly, we've given them good reason."

"Have you been drinking?"

"No, Dornegut, I haven't been drinking. Things are in chaos and we need to put them right. You're not a geek. You wouldn't understand."

"Okay. If I'm not a geek, then what am I?"

Tony shrugged. "You are a jock…well, a special subset of jock. I mean, the gay jock is little documented but growing phenomenon that started with Greg Louganis or was it Brian Boitano? Is he even out?"

Dornegut blinked. "McGee told you I was gay?"

"McGeek knows?"

"He didn't tell you?"

"McGoo never knows this stuff before I do. Things are so screwed up! It's like matter and anti-matter colliding in-"

"How did you know, Tony!"

Tony sighed. "Easy. You've been on the team more than three weeks now, and you haven't looked down Ziva's shirt even once."

Dornegut looked at him, mouth open. "That's how you can tell?"

Tony nodded. "Even women look down Ziva's shirt. You're really on the gay end of the spectrum."

"It was that obvious."

"Maybe not to a mere mortal but I have special abilities. Surely, you've noticed."

Dornegut looked up at the sky. "You are the very definition of special, Tony."

"Now, let's get down to why we're here. We have to put everything right and I think I have just the thing.

…

They sat on the front porch listening to the gentle breeze of the wind. Jennifer Prentiss sat between them on the front steps. McGee had let Abby take the lead in making her comfortable. They talked about Abby's boots, her tattoos, and the skulls she'd stamped on the black nail polish on her fingernails. For the first thirty minutes, the two females had chatted away like a couple of old friends. Then the teenager, dark and petite like her mother, had gotten quiet. Abby gave McGee a look and they both waited. Then Jennifer blew out air and looked at McGee. "She sent you to ask me about the dentist, didn't she?"

He nodded.

"I don't want to get him into trouble. It's just as much my fault."

"Jennifer, tell us about Dr. Wallon."

She looked down at her bare feet. "He was really nice to me. Gave me money when I told him things were rough at home. He told me to call him if I needed anything."

"Did you call him?"

She nodded. "I told him I was going to run away. He told me that was a really dangerous thing to do. He said he had an apartment I could stay at until I was ready to go home. He was being super nice."

"Did you stay there?"

She winced. "He said he would get into trouble if I told anyone."

McGee nodded. "He was trying to keep you off the streets. That's not a bad thing."

"Yeah, I went to stay there. He had great cable channels and he got an Xbox for me to use. I could sleep in as late as I wanted and the freezer was filled with frozen pizzas."

"Sounds pretty cool. How long did you stay?"

She hugged her arms around her tanned knees and didn't say anything. Abby gave McGee a worried look. He leaned over and said quietly. "Take your time, Jennifer."

Finally she sighed. "I left after two weeks."

Abby gently rubbed her back. "It's okay, Jennifer."

"He asked if I appreciated everything he did for me. He wanted me to help him with some things. He said he was feeling lonely. Said he didn't have anyone to hug."

McGee worried his mouth for a moment before speaking. "He did a lot of nice things for you, Jennifer, but he could buy you 100 pizzas and he still doesn't have the right to touch you. Ever. He was wrong, and it wasn't your fault at all."

She buried her face in her knees and sobbed.

…..

It was late afternoon when they returned to the hotel. Abby was silent through dinner, pushing her food around the plate. McGee had little appetite himself. It was in times like these that he wondered why he hadn't chosen an easier path for his life's career. He had the intelligence to excel at most any field, but instead, he'd chosen work where he saw constant pain and heartbreak.

Abby looked up after the check for dinner came. "She actually believed it was her fault that he raped her."

McGee nodded. "And she was too ashamed to tell her mother so she ran off to Kentucky."

"Why aren't we arresting that bastard right now?"

McGee sighed. "If we did that, the case would hinge largely on her testimony. Can you imagine that poor girl having to stand up in court and tell a bunch of strangers all the details she told us?"

"I want to help you and Jimmy."

He nodded. "We'll wage a geek war and we'll take him down hard."

"Can I be there when you arrest him?"

"Abs." He shook his head.

"It's just that I don't ever get to meet the victims, and I didn't realize it would be so hard."

"I'm sorry, Abs. I shouldn't have brought you."

She reached across, grabbing his hand. "Are you kidding? I'm so glad I could help."

He squeezed back. "I don't know what I would've done without you today."

"Are you going to call Sergeant Prentiss?"

"I talked to Gibbs. He's going to go see her in person. We tell her something like this on the phone, and we're going to find Wallon with a bullet hole between his eyes."

"Hmm. If I processed those forensics, I'm not sure I would be able to make a match to the Sergeant."

He laughed.

…

At first, the crying was part of his dream and he was doing it. Everyone was lined up at the edge of the pool for the race, but there wasn't room for him. He asked Gibbs to move over, but the boss didn't even look at him. He turned over in frustration and heard the sniffling and the hiccups. This time he opened his eyes, and tried to remember where he was.

It was dark but he could smell the slight mustiness of hotel drapes, and he remembered that they were in a hotel along the highway on the Kentucky Virginia border. Abby was in the next bed, and he could hear her try to stifle sounds.

He climbed out of his bed and crawled onto hers. "Abby, you okay?"

She kept her head turned away. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"Hey, what's wrong?"

She turned to him. "I was just feeling so bad for Jennifer. She's a little girl. What's wrong with people?"

He stroked her face. "I don't know, Abs. I think, in the beginning, I thought I could be a part of changing things, but now I know that there will always be predators. I've had to accept that that will never change."

"I know."

He started to roll away from her but she grabbed his hand. "Stay here with me. Talk to me."

McGee froze. "I don't know. It kinda' scares me being so close to you."

"Never used to."

"That was a different time, and when that ended…I really had a broken heart. I promised myself that I wouldn't let that happen again."

She looked at him for a long moment, her eyes adjusting to the dark. "I didn't think you still cared about me like that."

"Come on, Abs. You don't see me watching you? Seriously?"

She gripped his hand. "You've changed so much. You seem so confident. I just you'd moved on."

"Well, I've tried, but you're pretty special to me, Abs."

"You're special to me too."

"Like a brother."

She shook her head slowly. "You should never feel what I feel for a brother."

He cocked his head. "Abs?"

"You scare me too."

He pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. "We may both feel something for each other, but that doesn't mean we want the same things. You know that I want something solid, something permanent. You have to ask yourself what you want."

After a few moments together, he nuzzled her neck. "I want you so much."

She pulled away, her eyes teary. "We both have a lot to think about then."

He nodded and eased off the bed. He lay down on his bed and looked at her. "Let's talk until we fall asleep, okay?"

"Okay."

"So tell me about this geek team you and Jimmy are planning for next year's triathlon."

"It's going to be great! I was thinking we could have team logos and t-shirts."

"What do Tony and Ziva think about your efforts to recruit me?"

"Distinctly unhappy. You are one sought after free agent. The last time I saw Tony I could tell he was scheming. Don't know what he's up to, but this time the geeks going to be heard."

He smiled a little in the dark. "That would be nice, Abs."

…..

TBC….


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks so much for going on this geek journey with me. It was really great to share this with you. Let me know your thoughts. Sheila**

**The Secret Lives of Geeks**

**Chapter 5**

Hey Boss!" McGee kept his eye on the road as he talked to Gibbs. "Seriously?...That's really good news…I could really use the support…That's a good idea. Let's do it…We'll be back in about four hours…I'll see you around 10 p.m. I have a system. I can't wait to show it to you."

Abby blinked and sat up in her seat. "Gibbs?"

McGee smiled. "They caught the rapist, and he confessed. Balboa is back, and Boss said he didn't care it was a Sunday, he told Balboa he was taking call so that the team would be free to work the Wallon case."

She threw her arms up. "Yeah!"

"Boss had a great idea. The chat room has the most action at night so I'm going to work a night shift monitoring things and Ducky and Jimmy will take the day shift. Ziva and Tony are going to take over surveillance on Wallon."

She threw her arms around his neck and he had to grip the steering wheel tightly to keep from swerving. "The team is back together again."

"Careful, Abs," he said as he gently pushed her off.

"I'll work the overnight with you."

"You don't need to do that."

"It's my case too now. We'll set up in the lab. I can process evidence on other cases and keep you company."

He nodded. "That would be nice."

She smiled at him. "We're really a good team, aren't we, Tim?"

He couldn't stifle the smile spreading across his face.

…..

Jimmy picked up a French fry and smiled at Breena. "Thanks for bringing me some dinner."

"You're shaking, Jimmy."

"Just a little tired."

"This case is really getting to you." She watched him carefully.

"I'm struggling with living victims. I mean, I'm happy they're alive, but when they're dead, there's nothing I can do to change that, and I try to not think about what happened to them. Here, I'm a part of things while the pain is still happening. I am so worried that he's going to hurt another girl. I just keep reading what he and these other pedophiles want to do to kids, and I'm just so angry. I told you once that I would never shoot a gun, but I think that this is a situation where I could really shoot a person."

"Honey, I am so sorry you have to be involved in this case."

"But I want to. I want to help get him and put him away for a very long time."

They heard the sound of a candy bar dropping in the machine, and Jimmy turned his head and saw Agent Gibbs standing there. "Sir, I was just having a little dinner. Dr. Mallard said it was okay. I'll be back down there in a few minutes."

"Go home, Palmer."

"What? No, I'm fine. Did you overhear us? I promise I won't shoot anyone. I was just venting."

"Palmer, Ducky says you're doing a fine job. I'm going to take over now, and you're going home with your lovely fiancée. And tomorrow, when you're rested, you're back on the case. There aren't many people who can understand McGee's bizarre coding system."

"I could show you."

"Don't worry about it. The mastermind himself is going to be here in a couple hours. I'm sure he'll be happy to over-explain the whole thing to me."

Jimmy got up. "Agent Gibbs, I know you had a pretty rough case. When do you get to rest?"

Gibbs smiled and looked down for a moment. "Jimmy, if I had someone to go home to half as beautiful and sweet as your fiancée, my life might be a different story. Go home and let her take care of you."

Breena smiled. "Thanks Agent Gibbs."

He nodded and disappeared into the hallway. Breena turned to Jimmy. "Okay hero, I'm going to run you a hot bath, and then we're going to curl up on the couch and we're not going to worry about a single thing."

…..

McGee stretched his back and rubbed at his red eyes. It had been a long night, but he'd refined his coding system. He had spread sheets for every conversation in the chat room, noting language, proclivities, regionalisms, idiosyncrasies, anything that could be used to build profiles on not only Wallon but everyone else on the site. He was using software to input all of his data. It helped build three dimensional images of these men. Little slips of the tongue helped him narrow down one of the men to a town in Northern Alabama and another to Tampa, Florida. He was sure that by using his system a few more weeks, he would be able to pinpoint exactly who these men were. Wallon talked about three girls in the past tense and one girl in the present tense. McGee was sure that Jennifer Prentiss was one of the girls from the past, but he was eager to figure who Wallon's new target was.

Abby's lab doors slid open and Gibbs came in. Abby sat up from where she was snuggling with Bert. "Gibbs! Did you bring me some Caf-Pow? Can't keep my eyes open."

"No Caf-Pow. Go home and sleep a few hours. I need you gone at least 9 hours."

"Gibbs!"

"I mean it."

"Boss, I'm working a new angle. Since we can't get his client list without a warrant, I was thinking we could get a list of the runaway reports from the county sheriff, and start checking to see how many of those girls were his patients."

He nodded. "I like it. I'll put Dornegut on it."

McGee sat up straight. "I got a few more good hours in me, Boss."

"You need to blow off steam. I ran into Stoney. He's going to open a lane for you at the pool. Go take a swim, and then go home and get some sleep."

"I'm exhausted!"

Gibbs cocked his head. "I'm not running a democracy around here. We're going to pace ourselves and I need you healthy. Go!"

…..

"Tony, we have to relieve them in an hour."

"I know. We have just enough time to talk to Vance."

Ziva sighed. "This is not going to go well."

"I know. Why don't you let me do this? Cuts down on the collateral damage."

"No way. I go where you go."

"I want to go too." Dornegut rose up from his desk in exile. "It concerns me as much as it does you."

Tony shook his head. "Dornie, you're a nice kid. We don't want to put you in the middle of this."

"I am a part of this team, aren't I? I mean, for the time being anyway."

Ziva looked at Tony. "Let him make his own decisions."

Gibbs sailed into the bullpen. "You three going up there?"

Tony frowned. "How'd you know?"

"Please. I can read you like a book. I'm coming too. Just want to watch."

"He's omniscient," Tony whispered to Ziva.

Gibbs smirked. "Did you have to look that word up, Tony?"

Tony clapped his hands together. "Okay, it's D-day people, and we're about to land on Normandy Beach. Operation Geek has begun. You all ready?"

Ziva rolled her eyes and brushed past him up the stairs.

…

Stoney walked along the edge of the pool. "Keep doing, McGee. Stop thinking so hard. Just push. It's just you and the water. Nothing else. Don't worry about your breathing. It comes naturally, son. Body already knows how to do it. Don't need to involve your brain so much."

McGee hit the end of this lane and lifted his head. "How'd I do?"

Stoney nodded. "You're getting better. Wish the skipper was here to see it himself."

McGee pulled the moisture off his face. "That would really be something, wouldn't it, Stoney?"

…

Fornell looked at the work on the wall. McGee's spreadsheets had turned into charts and diagrams outlining all the players in the chat room, and the specific profiles created for each of them. He shook his head and turned to Gibbs. "It's really quite amazing, Jethro."

There was another man with them, and he was studying McGee's work even more closely. Finally he looked at Gibbs. "What software did he use for all this?"

Gibbs shrugged. "It was the stuff your people were hawking at the last child pornography seminar you put on at Quantico. It took him six months to convince me that we needed it."

"He did all of this with our software?" Alan Shepherd, head of the FBI Child Pornography Task Force straightened up.

Fornell chuckled. "Alan, I told you this kid got skills. I'm sure he enhanced your original program."

"You ready to turn this over to us?"

Gibbs nodded. "We want Wallon, but bagging the rest of these scum would be a full time job."

"I want to meet the agent that organized all this."

"He's sleeping."

"I assume that he's going to wake up at some point."

Gibbs gave him a hard look. "What? Do you want his autograph or something? I can have him mail it to you."

"Come on, Gibbs. He's done some really interesting things here. He could really make a difference on my team."

"He's already got a job."

Fornell smiled. "This is really a lot of fun watching the two of you. Listen Gibbs, I think it would be nice if McGee showed Alan's techs what he did. Sharing is a good thing. Remember kindergarten?"

"No poaching."

Shepherd shrugged. "If he's happy, you don't have anything to worry about."

Gibbs narrowed his eyes at Shepherd as he left the room. "I don't like him."

Fornell shook his head as he followed Shepherd. "Sometimes, I think you might have been raised by wolves."

….

Dornie caught a break at the end of the week. McGee's idea to search runaway reports for patients of Dr. Wallon's paid off. He came into the bullpen waving a piece of paper followed by Abby. "MacKenzie Scott. 15 years old. Disappeared for a month last year. I talked to her mother. Says that MacKenzie came home on her own, but she hasn't been the same since. Mom wanted to get her into counseling but MacKenzie won't go."

"I'll go interview her," McGee said.

Gibbs nodded. "Take Ziva. She and Tony are staking out Wallon at his office."

"No!" Abby stomped her foot. "I was there for the last one. Tim and I worked well as a team. I'm ready for this."

Tim shook his head. "Abby, it was really hard on you."

"I handled it!"

Gibbs stood up. "A trained investigator should do this."

"I was good, Tim. Tell him."

Tim sighed. "She was good, Boss."

"Continuity is important, isn't it, Gibbs? I'm supposed to look for patterns in her story that might be similar to Jennifer's so we can identify his M.O. Tim will be there the whole time."

Gibbs sighed. "McGee takes the lead, Abby. You're there to support the girl. Understand?"

She nodded. "I'm all ready."

McGee grabbed his backpack and took her by the arm. "All right, partner. Let's go."

…

Tony peered at Wallon over the top of his sunglasses as he came out of his office. "If I have to spend one more day watching this predator and doing nothing, I'm going to go crazy."

"Can you believe Gibbs is letting Abby help with interviews?" Ziva frowned at the windshield.

"It bothers you?"

"She's not trained."

"You weren't when you first came to NCIS."

"You know her. She's too sensitive for this."

"Ziva, Abby is very strong. I think it's good for her to get out of the lab. It's good for us to see what else she's capable of."

Ziva shook her head. "You have really become enlightened of late, haven't you, my friend?"

"I want McGee, Jimmy, and Abby to know that we consider them equals, not just sidekicks or geeks."

"I've known you for several years now, and you have put a considerable amount of energy into putting people in their place. The term 'autopsy gremlin' comes to mind, and I can't count the number of times you've made sure McGee knew he was nothing more than a geek."

"I was just teasing."

"Tony, what is this really about?"

He took his sunglasses off and sighed. "I think I just miss McGee. I want him back at his desk. And if anyone is going to call him a geek, it's me. Only me. Not the Director. Not SecNav. Not anybody else."

"And Abby and Jimmy?"

"I guess it's time to grow up a little, you know. It's fun to tease, but then you find out that you've essentially limited their potential by only seeing one part of who they can be."

"Maybe I've limited your potential, Tony, because I never you could be this guy. I like it. I like it very much."

"Really!" he grinned. "Are you ready for our little triathlon tomorrow?"

She bit her lip. "Do you think Vance will ever forgive us?"

"Ol' Leon Vance is a geek at heart. He understands."

"We're going to have so much fun."

"Hey!" Tony pointed. "Wallon is on the move."

….

McGee stood on the sidewalk in front of MacKenzie Scott's home. "Hey Boss…Yeah, she had a pretty similar story to tell…she's caught up in the idea that this was all her fault…Abby did good. She's sitting with her right now. Mom's pretty upset, and I have her on the phone with a crisis counselor….Seriously? You think we're ready? All right, Boss, we'll meet you there."

….

Jimmy sat in the backseat, his eyes pasted on the apartment complex. "I can't believe I really get to see this."

Ducky patted him on the back. "You deserve it, my boy. You've logged in an excruciating number of hours on that chat room. You have a right to see how it all goes down."

"You're not just getting a peek, Palmer." Gibbs looked at him from the front seat. "You are one of the few that understands McGee's system in this case. We have a warrant and I'll bet a lot of money that we are going to find a big stash of child pornography in his apartment. You know the conversations enough so that you might be able to match the images we find with the stories he told. I need you to catalog the whole thing. Are you ready for something like that?"

Jimmy licked his lips and nodded. "I can do it, Agent Gibbs."

"I'll be with you the whole way, Jimmy."

"Thanks Dr. Mallard."

McGee's car pulled up behind them, and Abby and McGee emerged. McGee pointed at Gibbs' car, and Abby climbed in. "Tony called. He said Wallon will be here any minute."

Gibbs patted her cheek. "Good job, Abs. Now, you are going to sit here with Jimmy and Ducky until I signal for you. Understand?"

She nodded. "Get him, Gibbs."

Gibbs slid out of the vehicle and joined McGee on the sidewalk. Abby clutched the dashboard and watched as a luxury vehicle pulled into complex lot. Wallon stepped out and looked around. Then he started toward the door to the building. McGee and Gibbs trotted across the street and intercepted him before he could open the door. Wallon stepped back, surprised. McGee pulled out his badge and started talking. Wallon tried to walk away, but Gibbs had him by the arm. Wallon struggled and Gibbs pushed him up against the concrete face of the building and reached for his handcuffs. Ziva and Tony trotted up, guns drawn while Gibbs finished cuffing him.

In the car, they couldn't hear the words, but Wallon was clearly yelling, most of his anger directed at McGee. McGee ignored him and continued reading his rights even when Wallon lunged toward him and spit. Abby sucked in breath and grabbed for the door, but Ducky held her back. "Watch Timothy. He barely flinched. He just kept reading the Miranda. He knows it's not worth his time or energy to strike back. He's too good for that."

"Look at how angry Wallon is. I never thought I would be so happy to see someone in so much discomfort."

"He deserves every bit of it and more," Ducky growled.

…..

Gibbs sat across from Wallon and his lawyer, staring at them with his steely blue eyes. It had gone on like that for at least twenty minutes, Gibbs refusing to respond to any overtures at conversation. Wallon got more uncomfortable with each passing minute.

Finally the door opened, and McGee walked in carrying a file and a large 3 ring binder. He took out two photos and slapped them on the table. "Here are the two girls who have given us sworn statements. Their stories are achingly similar. They both describe you as very helpful, open to listening to their problems. You offered them a place to stay, and you were kind…at first. After a week or two, you started talking to them about how lonely you were. You reminded them of all the things you'd done for them. Then you made it very clear what they needed to do for you."

Wallon turned to his lawyer. "Do I need to listen to this?"

McGee jumped back in. "I think your lawyer would love an opportunity to know the case we have against you."

The lawyer nodded at Wallon. Then McGee dropped the 3 ring binder on the table. It was heavy enough to make a large bang. Wallon jerked back. McGee pointed at it. "These are the transcripts from the last two weeks of the dentist chat room your client likes to frequent. This chat room is specifically for dentists who are pedophiles and child pornographers. I have over 400 pages here. You, Dr. Wallon, are Snape60."

Wallon looked away.

McGee looked at Gibbs for a moment before continuing. "I also just spoke to one of my partners. They found your stash in your little hideout. He estimates more than 1,000 photos and upwards of 100 videos of child pornography. I'm sure that some of those are photos you took yourself. Maybe some of the movies are as well. As disgusting as it is, we're going to find out the origin and each and every image you have."

Wallon's breath quickened as McGee leaned over the table and looked at him. "This is not going to be a tough interrogation. We can be done whenever you want. We have so much evidence that it doesn't matter what happens in this room tonight. We're just here to gloat a little bit. You tell us nothing: that's fine. We don't need you."

The lawyer looked at McGee. "I'm sure you would like to avoid a trial for the sake of the alleged victims."

McGee took a deep breath. "Our witnesses are strong, but it would be nice to save them the inconvenience of a trial. It would be nice if your client could show that he is capable of compassion. We might take that into consideration, but make no mistake, trial or no, Dr. Wallon is going to jail for a very long time. There are going to be hundreds of charges before we're finished. "

"What sort of deal are we talking?"

McGee glared at Wallon. "Do you want a chance at parole before you are 110 years old? That's the only question you need to answer tonight."

Wallon cursed and shook his head.

McGee looked at Gibbs. "Boss, I think we're done here. I don't think we need anything from Dr. Wallon. We have enough to make sure he never gets out of jail."

Gibbs nodded and got to his feet. Together, they went to the door, opened it, and closed it behind them. It was then they heard the muffled sounds of Wallon screaming, "Wait! Wait! I want a deal!"

Gibbs patted McGee on the back. "Go back in there and get him, tiger."

….

Jimmy and Abby sat in the evidence garage on the floor drinking the coffee and Caf-Pow McGee brought them. Abby groaned. "What time is it?"

"4 a.m."

She turned to Jimmy. "We still have at least 20 videos to catalog into evidence."

"Don't remind me."

McGee slid down the wall next to them. "Everyone else went home hours ago."

"Well, Ziva, Dornie, and Tony do have a triathlon in a few hours."

"Do we have to go and watch?" Abby moaned.

"Yes. I tried to beg off and Tony had a fit. In fact, they are going to pick us up here in at 7 a.m. He said we could sleep on the way."

Jimmy nodded. "We're a team. Gotta' support one another."

McGee looked at the both of them. "How are you guys doing? You've never worked a case in this way before."

"It was rough, rougher than I imagined actually, but it was sort of exhilarating not to trapped in my lab with just Mass Spec for company."

Jimmy nodded. "I felt the same thing. It was good to be more than just the autopsy gremlin."

"Yeah. We've always known we were more, but it's nice to think that they know it now too."

Abby slid over until her head rested on McGee's shoulder. "I'm just going to close my eyes for two minutes."

McGee smiled and shifted so she was more comfortable. Jimmy got up. "Think I'm going to take a couple of boxes upstairs."

Once alone, McGee turned his face and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Love you, Abs."

Eyes closed, she smiled. "Me too, Timmy. Me too."

…

McGee opened his eyes for a moment, and watched the road signs going by. Eyes half lidded, he watched for a couple of minutes before he realized something. He sat up straight. "Tony! You missed the exit for Quantico."

DiNozzo looked at him. "We're going to a state park two exits from here."

"They changed the location?"

Tony didn't say anything so McGee turned to Ziva in the back. She was sitting in between Abby and Jimmy, both sleeping. "What's going on?"

She smiled. "We're going to a triathlon."

"Okay, you guys are being weird."

Tony kept his eyes on the road, but McGee could see a smile creeping onto his features. McGee knew Tony well enough to know that DiNozzo wasn't going to share until he was good and ready and he was too tired to care. He leaned his head against the window glass again and closed his eyes.

Then Tony was shaking his arm, and he sat up suddenly. They were parked at a picnic area near a lake. Ziva was gently waking Jimmy and Abby. McGee got out and blinked. Jimmy shouted, "Hey!" and McGee whirled around to see a banner between two trees that read, "1st Annual NCIS Geekathon".

McGee stared, dumbfounded while Abby jumped up and down and ran toward the picnic tables. Jimmy followed. Then he saw Gibbs working a grill and other people gathered at one of the tables. He turned to DiNozzo. "What the hell, Tony?"

DiNozzo put his arm around his shoulders. "The Quantico Triathlon felt wrong without you. Losing you sucked all the energy out of it."

"Tony, it wasn't a big deal. I handled it."

"McGoo, you might've been handling it well, but the rest of us weren't. It upset the balance of the team. Everything felt wrong without you there. We could've adjusted in time, but we shouldn't have had to. We were losing you because of a stupid bet between two people who probably couldn't identify any of us by name. Rubbed me wrong."

"You didn't need to do anything like this for me."

"As it turns out, we owed something to a number of our unsung heroes."

McGee sighed. "You're a good guy, Tony."

"Come on, Tim. Let's go have a geekathon."

…..

It was a motley crew. Gibbs had commandeered a grill, and was feeding it a mixture of coals and pieces of wood. Beside him was a cooler filled with various cuts of meat, and when he wasn't stirring coals, he was marinating steaks and chicken parts. McGee could tell that Gibbs was in his element, and he enjoyed seeing how easy the boss laughed when he was relaxed.

Ducky and Breena had coolers filled with salads and fruit. She had clearly been in on this plan, and she was busy setting the picnic tables. Dornie and Tony had set up a table with the rules for the Geekathon which was set up to be a modified triathlon with a twist. Each event had a brain game attached to it. After competing physically, each participant had to complete a brain exercise of some kind before they handed off to the next member of their team. It was quirky and weird, and just seemed right.

The surprises were constant that morning. Stoney showed up with a sports bag filled with swimming gear for McGee. Tim was happy to see the old man, and he parked him next to Gibbs and kept them both well supplied with beer. Ziva showed Abby a racing bike decorated just the way she wanted, and Abby rode the bike up and down the trails. Breena had packed running gear for Jimmy, and soon he and Tony were geared up and stretching.

An SUV showed up, and Vance and his family piled out. He didn't say much about the Quantico Triathlon. He just sat down at Gibbs' table, grabbed a beer, and told the kids to get their swimsuits on. Jackie Vance unpacked a beautiful red velvet cake and a homemade potato salad. Once Vance discovered the marinating meat, he began schooling Gibbs on how to barbeque it. On any other day, he would've gotten push back, but Gibbs knew about the tongue lashing Vance had received from SecNav, and so he let the Director be the expert.

Right before the race, another car showed up and a Marine Master Sergeant got out with Sergeant Lucy Prentiss. Gone was the angry drunk woman with tortured eyes. She smiled easy and it was impossible to tell she had a prosthetic leg. She walked straight up to McGee and hugged him tightly, thanking him for finding justice for her daughter. McGee was speechless but then Gibbs was there, steering her and her former CO over to a table that wasn't next to the beer. Soon, she and Ziva were deep in conversation.

McGee got into his swim trunks despite the fact that he was feeling terribly self-conscious. His chest and arms were thin and pale, and watching Dornie stretch those broad shoulders told him everything he needed to know about the outcome of the race. Stoney was in his ear reminding him to not pay any attention to Dornegut.

Tony began a long recitation of the complex Geekathon rules. Soon McGee found himself diving off a dock next to Dornegut. McGee closed his eyes and found Stoney's voice. He forgot everything but the movement. All the training kicked in, and the rhythm of his strokes were uninterrupted by gasps for air. He reached the other side of the lake and turned. Instead of tired, he felt powerful, and he reached longer with his strokes. When his face broke surface, he could hear Stoney yelling, "That's what I am talking about McGee!" At the beach, he could see Dornie ahead of him, but it was nowhere near the beating he thought he was going to get.

Ducky had a brain teaser set out on a table in front of him. Dornie was busy looking it over, but McGee immediately recognized it as a classic exercise measuring spatial reasoning. He completed it minutes ahead of Dornegut, but hesitated. He started to offer Dornie some advice, but the crowd went wild on him and he was urged to get to his teammate.

Abby didn't have nearly enough practice on the bike to be a match for Ziva, but she still got halfway around the course before Ziva overtook her. Ziva was also no mental slouch, and she finished five minutes ahead of Abby.

Jimmy had a lot of time to make up, but his long legs were made for running. By the time, DiNozzo got to the brain teaser, Palmer was less than a minute behind. McGee watched Tony carefully. He knew that the Phy. Ed degree didn't do justice to Tony's immense intelligence. He saw Tony struggle with the exercise, and part of him wondered if he was throwing it on purpose. Jimmy pulled the puzzle together quickly and jumped up, hands in the air. Then everyone was cheering and laughing including Tony. McGee realized that the winning and the losing had little meaning. It was all about the feeling of being together, a team and a family. And he smiled because this family had taken the time to show their geeks just how much they mattered.

….

The End


End file.
